Remember the song "Don't Worry Be Happy"? Last Friday, a study came out that found that happiness is contagious. It spreads like a virus through social networks. If you know someone who is happy, that makes you 15.3 %more likely to be happy. But in order for it to spread effectively the happy people have to be physically close. If your next-door neighbor is happy, that makes you 34 % more likely to be happy, but other neighbors on the same block have no similar effect. Even better is to have a happy friend living less than half a mile away, which gives you a 42 % increase And yet, having a happy spouse only provides an 8% boost, and happy co-workers provide no boost at all. One of the co-authors of the study told the NY Times that the study made him think twice about his mood knowing that it would affect others. But there are limits. "We are not giving you the advice to start smiling at everyone you meet in New York," he said. "That would be dangerous."...But especially during our tough times we are having now I think if you can give a big smile to everyone in Fairfield County it will make a difference in their day ...As a cousin of mine puts at the end of her emails...Keep smiling it's contagious...J

Have a great day...

Tommy